The French Revolution: Causes, Key Events, and Aftermath (1789-1799)
The Roots of Revolution
Why is the French Revolution historically significant?
Because its ideas changed human history.
Financial and Social Causes
The structure of the Ancient Regime meant that only the Third Estate paid taxes. The expenses of the state were very high, and the government did not have enough money solely from the taxes collected from the Third Estate.
Failed Attempts at Reform
Louis XVI tried to reform this system under various financial ministers. He called for democracy on a local level.
Read MoreFranco’s Regime: Opposition and Political Reforms in the 1960s
The Opposition to the Franco Regime
- A growing desire for change emerged, stemming both from the middle class (which benefited from the economic upswing but was distant from Francoist ideology) and from industrial workers, who were increasingly politicized.
- Urban workers, subjected to brutal changes in their living conditions—living with low wages and crowded into new neighborhoods around major cities—adopted an attitude against the Franco regime, supporting a change in the political system.
- In
Spain’s Path to Conflict: Dictatorship, Republic, and Civil War
Primo de Rivera’s Military Dictatorship (1923–1930)
By 1923, dissatisfaction with the Restoration Monarchy was widespread. General Miguel Primo de Rivera established a military dictatorship with the avowed aim of taking a break from political life to end corruption.
Stages of the Dictatorship
- Early Years: Initially, Primo de Rivera enjoyed some popularity, even within the workers’ movement. The protectorate in Morocco was pacified by a French-Spanish alliance in 1925.
- Maintaining Power: A strong economy
The Aftermath of World War II: Political and Territorial Changes
The Axis Powers and Collaborator States
The Axis Powers (the Nazi and collaborationist states) included:
- The German Reich: Formed by Germany, which annexed Austria, the Sudetenland, western Poland, Luxembourg, Alsace-Lorraine, Slovenia, and the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia. Territories under direct administration of the German Reich were grouped into Comissariats General.
- Italy: An ally of Germany, its territory expanded after the annexation of Albania, Montenegro, and part of the Dalmatian coast.
The Enlightenment, Colonial Aspirations, and Simón Bolívar’s Early Life
The Age of Enlightenment and Political Upheaval
The illustration depicts the historic moment located within the “Century of the Enlightenment,” when experimental scientific consciousness opposed dogmatism and specific intentions to overthrow despotisms. This era is also known as the Age of Reason or the Century of Lights.
The French Revolution and the Old Regime
The French Revolution was a social and political conflict, with varying periods of violence, which shook France and, by extension of its implications,
Read MoreThe Spanish Habsburg Dynasty: Reigns, Conflicts, and Decline (1516–1700)
The Habsburg Dynasty in Spain: An Introduction
The Catholic Monarchs had planned for their son Juan to inherit their territories. However, with his death, the crowns of Spain were transferred from the House of Trastámara to the House of Habsburg. The Spain of the Habsburgs sought to become fully a Modern State, and with Carlos V, the crowns of Castile and Aragon were definitively united.
The first Habsburg rulers, Carlos I (V of Germany) and Felipe II (known as the Austrias Mayores or Major Habsburgs)
Read More